The present invention relates generally to vehicle platooning. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for dynamically adjusting platoon characteristics such as respective following distances for a number of vehicles such as tractor trailers based on predicted external effects or perturbations.
The benefits of driver assistive vehicle platooning are well-established, as are the heightened benefits of a reduced following distance between respective vehicles in a platoon orientation. For example, minimizing following distances can result in reduced aerodynamic drag for all vehicles in a platoon, and thereby improve respective fuel economies. At highway speeds, aerodynamic drag may be characterized as the greatest consumer of vehicle power, well in excess of the combined effects of rolling friction resistance and vehicle accessory losses. Test results have indicated that vehicles consistently achieve increased benefits correlating to closer following distances, although the energy-saving benefits may vary depending on the respective vehicle position within a platoon.
Advanced braking control systems have been implemented, along with integrated vehicle-to-vehicle communications, for the purpose of facilitating vehicle platooning and reducing the associated following distances to the extent possible. However, conventional techniques are unable to safely reduce the following distances between vehicles to a desired level, at least because of the inherent external perturbations which arise during typical traffic flow. A trailing vehicle in a platoon must implement a following distance which accounts for the successive detection of braking actions by a preceding vehicle, and the accompanying reactions by intervening vehicles. Conventional techniques, as one of skill in the art today may recognize, therefore rely on reaction to an actual braking event by a preceding vehicle within the platoon with respect to a particular trailing vehicle, or an anticipatory reaction by a driver of the trailing vehicle based upon visual investigation of the traffic and road conditions.
It would be desirable to provide and implement a platoon control system which identifies potential external perturbations to the platoon and dynamically accounts for the risk of predicted braking events, even prior to any actual braking or other reaction by another vehicle in the platoon.
It would further be preferable for such a platoon control system to cause trailing vehicles within or otherwise as part of the platoon to dynamically adjust their respective following distances in view of such predicted braking events by vehicles that are not within or otherwise part of the platoon, again without waiting for or otherwise having to detect a reaction by preceding vehicles in the platoon.